Lunchtime Live

Ugly buildings have left people feeling dejected, lonely and unable to form friendships. That is according to a report in the UK by the Centre for Social Justice, who say that there is a clear link between social problems, a lack of community spirit and poor building design.Half of the adults surveyed said that architects and planners were out of touch with what local people wanted.So, does Ireland have an ‘ugly building’ problem?Andrea is joined by Robin Mandal from the Dublin Democratic Planning Alliance, David O’Brien from the Limerick Civic Trust and more to discuss.

Welcome to The Pod Squad!We review podcasts every Tuesday so you always have something new to listen to.This week, Presenter of Tech Talk on Newstalk Jess Kelly and Off the Ball’s Cameron Hill join Andrea to review ‘Kill List’!Image: Wondery

You may have seen the videos of Simon Harris and Mary Lou McDonald out on the campaign trail yesterday. They both visited Sound Quality Gifts in Monaghan, where Manager Helen treated them to a jive.Andrea is joined by Helen Drumm, Manager of Sound Quality Gifts in Monaghan to discuss how this came about, and Kelly Smyth, Owner of Dance Craft joins Andrea in studio to talk about how popular the dance has become.

Craig Ballentine from Co. Tyrone is currently stranded in Dubai after he was arrested over a negative review he posted online relating to a dog grooming centre.He could be facing up to 2 years in prison if found guilty…Radha Stirling, CEO of campaign group Detained in Dubai is working on getting Craig home, and joins Andrea to discuss.

For Lung Cancer Awareness Month, two listeners, Samantha and Gillian, join Andrea to share their stories.They are both fighting the same disease, but are both non-smokers.

This year on Lunchtime Live we’ve been looking at things that we can do in order to make ourselves that bit happier and healthier.This week, while you’ll usually hear her on the Pod Squad, Shelly Gray from Today FM joins Andrea to discuss climbing Mount Kilimanjaro!

Gym owners say they are baffled at a Fine Gael proposal to increase VAT on gym memberships. Would an increase from 9% to 11% force gyms to increase their prices?Darina Dunne is the Chair of the Irish Physical Alliance, and this is something that she and the IPAA have been critical of...She joins Andrea, as well as Karl Dunne, Chief Executive of Ireland Active and more to discuss.

Dr Niall Breen from the Portmarnock GP Clinic joined Andrea Gilligan to tackle your medical queries.

Doing just five extra minutes of exercise a day could help lower blood pressure.So, if you usually go for a 20 minute walk, make it 25!If your cycle to work is about half an hour, could you do another 5 minutes around the corner? Could that really make that much of a difference?Joining Andrea to discuss the benefits is John Belton, Wellness Coach and owner of No.17 PT, Human Performance.

You have probably noticed that election posters have popped up all over the country throughout the weekend.The General Election has been called for Friday, November 29th and between now and then you will certainly receive a flood of candidate leaflets and election paraphernalia.What do you think about election posters? Are you fine with them, or are you sick of them already?Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

A new survey commissioned by An Post reveals that young people between the age of 18-24 have emerged as the biggest users of cash.Do you use cash? Does it help you to budget better?Joining Andrea to discuss is Sinead Ryan, Consumer Expert and Presenter of the Home Show on Newstalk as well as listener James in Donegal.

This is Lunchtime Live’s Big Batch. Every Monday we’ll be learning new easy to cook batch recipes to keep you eating well. No more staring into an open fridge looking for inspiration!Adrian Martin, Owner of Luigi Malones Temple Bar and the Wildflower Restaurant in Dublin joins Andrea this week to discuss prepping for having a baby - and the importance of stocking up the freezer for those early days!Follow the hashtag #LLBigBatch for all our recipes.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary made some controversial comments about teachers being on “the dole” at an election event at the weekend where he endorsed Fine Gael TD Peter Burke, doubling down on them while on Newstalk Breakfast this morning.What do you think about Michael O’Leary’s comments about teachers?Andrea is joined by Rodney Farry, Journalist with the Westmeath Examiner, Labour General Election candidate for Kildare North Angela Feeney, Sarah Calvey, Principal of Castlebar Educate Together NS and more.

The General Election campaign will formally begin later today when Taoiseach Simon Harris asks President Michael D. Higgins to dissolve the Dáil. Harris will travel to the Áras to trigger a three-week campaign ahead of polling day on Friday November 29th. Joining Andrea to react to his speech and discuss what to expect is Craig Hughes, Political Correspondent with the Irish Daily Mail, with Newstalk’s Political Correspondent Sean Defoe and Newstalk Reporter Andrew Louth reporting on the ground.

Have playdates become too competitive?Writing in the Irish Independent today, Tanya Sweeney talks of homemade smoothies, crudites and educational games – very different from the past!Tanya, as well as Katie Makk from the Opinions Matter podcast, join Andrea to discuss.

On November 9th 1995, 21-year-old JoJo Dullard was on her way home from Dublin, where she had met with friends earlier that day. However, Jo Jo didn’t make it home to Callan, Co Kilkenny. 29 years on, her family are still urging anyone with information about where she might be to come forward.JoJo’s sister Kathleen joins Andrea to discuss.Image: PA

From a dog surviving 150 wasp stings to protests against a new McDonalds - Newstalk’s Eamonn Torsney has the stories from around the country that you might have missed this week.

Does smoking seem to be becoming fashionable for young people?The dangers of smoking are well known at this stage, but there are a number of young, influential celebrities, including Ireland’s own Paul Mescal, who continue to smoke.There has been an increase in the amount of smoking on TV shows and in movies; of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, all except ‘Barbie’ feature smoking.What do you think? Are we in danger of having smoking being seen as ‘cool’?Andrea is joined by Entertainment Journalist Sarina Bellisimo, Newstalk Reporter Bella Finn and more to discuss.

From placement to painting them, how can you give your radiators a more prominent place in your house?Well, the Home Squad are here to chat about heating your house, but stylishly!Andrea is joined by Jenny Sheahan, Irish Examiner Columnist and former winner of ‘Home of the Year’ and Roisin Lafferty, Founder and Creative Director of Roisin Lafferty to discuss.

The long-awaited General Election has finally been called: it will happen on November 29th.The Taoiseach will ask President Michael D Higgins to dissolve the Dáil tomorrow.So, what do you need to know now?Joining Andrea to discuss what we can expect, and how you can register to vote if you haven’t already, is Newstalk Political Correspondent Seán Defoe.

Have you ever been told that there is a minimum 2 item purchase in a shop? Gordon posted about his experience lately when trying to buy a candle in Rituals in Kildare Village. Gordon joins Andrea, along with Stylist Laura Mullet, Damian O'Reilly, Lecturer in Retail Management at TU Dublin and more to discuss.Image: Kildare Village

Listener Siobhan Cunningham got in touch with the show about her story of a cardiovascular misdiagnosis.She joins Andrea to discuss, along with Dr Angie Brown, Medical Director at The Irish Heart Foundation.

From the arrival of Big Bird to a Christmas favourite, 98fm’s Ciaran O’Connor has plenty to chat about on this week’s throwback Thursday.Image: Disney

A new report from the Garda Síochána Inspectorate recommends that gangland informants who provide valuable intelligence on organised crime should be permitted to commit criminal offences in certain circumstances.What do you think about this approach?Should informants be allowed to get away with some crime if they are feeding information to the police?Joining Andrea to discuss is Nicola Tallant, Host of the Crime World Podcast & Investigations Editor with the Sunday World, Kathleen Chada, Founder of SAVE Action Group, Niall Spelman, former Assistant Governor of Wheatfield Prison and more.

Last week, Peter McElroy from myUKpension was on the show to discuss how you might be eligible to claim a UK pension. So many people sent in questions, that he joins Andrea again for this week’s Ask the Expert!

Can you make yourself into a morning person?Sleep Expert Tom Coleman has tips on how to make those early mornings a little brighter, and joins Andrea to discuss.

With the required 270 Electoral College votes passed, it is all but confirmed that Donal Trump will be returning to the White House as President of the United States.So, what are your reactions, did you stay up late for coverage, and is it anything you expected?Andrea is joined by Americans living in Ireland and Irish living in America to discuss reactions, as well as Newstalk Reporter Ellen Butler.Image: Reuters

Dinner party ‘do’s and don’ts’ have been revealed in a new survey.About a quarter of us taste food directly from a spoon we’re cooking with, while only a third have wiped down a bread knife and put it back in the rack!Joining Andrea to discuss more of these is Andrew Rudd, Chef and Director of Medley Restaurant and Tara O'Connor from The Designed Table.

Lunchtime Live's Reasons to be Happy looks at some of the news stories that you might have missed that will leave you feeling more optimistic.Today FM’s Cathal O’Sullivan joined Andrea in the studio to put a smile on your faces…

Welcome to The Pod Squad!We review podcasts every Tuesday so you always have something new to listen to.Sarah-Jayne Tobin, Editor of rollercoaster.ie and Laura Donnelly from Newstalk’s Newsroom joined Andrea to review ‘Against All Odds: Chilean Mine Collapse’!

Haughton’s Pub in Kilmeaden in Waterford closed its doors 14 months ago, but thanks to a group of regulars, the bar has reopened, much to the delight of the local community!Sean Lyons from Haughton’s Pub joins Andrea to discuss what happened.Image: Daft.ie

Election day voting has begun in the United States, with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris vying to become the next President.Harris has advocated for abortion rights and pledged to lower food and housing costs for working families, while Trump has vowed to seal the border and has proposed tax cuts worth trillions.So, who will win? And when will we know?Joining Andrea to discuss is Simon Marks, Chief Correspondent for Feature Story News in Washington DC. Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie and Chief Newstalk Reporter Barry Whyte also report from Mar-a-Lago in Florida and the University of California in Berkeley. Image: Reuters

Do you know how much Christmas is going to set you back?Irish Times Consumer Journalist, Conor Pope has calculated just how much Christmas will cost for a family of five in Ireland, and joins Andrea to discuss.

This year on Lunchtime Live we’ve been looking at things that we can do in order to make ourselves that bit happier and healthier.This week, Andrea is joined by Conor McDonnell, President of GAA Handball to learn all about the sport!

Farmers in north Mayo are calling for a deer cull in the area.There are worries that the growing number of deer will wreak havoc on local roads, animal and public safety as well as concerns about the spread of TB and with the animals eating and trampling on land prepared for silage…Joining Andrea to discuss is Martin McAndrew, a farmer in the area, Seamus Cosgrove, INHFA (Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association Head Office) Mayo Chair, John Tierney from the Association of Hunt Saboteurs, Gerry Loftus, founder of the Rural Ireland Organisation and more.

Dr Niall Breen from the Portmarnock GP Clinic joined Andrea Gilligan to tackle your medical queries.

The US music titan Quincy Jones has died.Most Famous for producing albums like Michael Jackson’s Thriller and collaborating with artists like Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles, he’ll be massively missed by the music world.Singer RuthAnne, who knew him as well as Arts Journalist and Broadcaster Pat Carty join Andrea to reflect on his legacy.

22 year old Hannah Leonard was training for the Dublin Marathon while in Sicily when she was struck by a car. Hannah suffered “devastating” brain injuries, and is currently in a coma in Italy. Her family are by her bedside, but have had to issue a warning after scammers set up a bogus fundraising page.Hannah’s father Kevin joins Andrea to discuss.If you would like to support the real fundraiser, you can go here:https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-hannah-leonard-and-her-family-while-they-navigate-he

Broadcaster Ruth Scott posted something on her social media recently about her experience with psoriasis, and it got Andrea’s attention.She joins the show to discuss that experience, along with Professor Brian Kirby, Consultant Dermatologist at St Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin.

This is Lunchtime Live’s Big Batch. Every Monday we’ll be learning new easy to cook batch recipes to keep you eating well. No more staring into an open fridge looking for inspiration!With winter officially here, this week, Andrea is joined by Chef and Director of Conbini Condiments, Holly Dalton to learn more about hearty and warm soup and broth!Follow the hashtag #LLBigBatch for all our recipes.

Americans are voting for their next president in a general election that culminates on Tuesday, November 5th.Democrat Kamala Harris, the current Vice-President, and Republican Donald Trump, the former President, have been running neck-and-neck for weeks.How long will we have to wait to know who the next US president will be?Joining Andrea to discuss and learn more is Lorcan Nyhan, Communications Clinic and Columnist at the Sunday Independent, Gina London, former White House Correspondent for CNN and Sunday Independent Columnist, Stephen O'Leary, Founder of social media analytics firm Olytico and Alexandra Ryan, CEO of Goss.ie.Image: Reuters

Every Friday, as part of our ‘Ask Me Anything’ series, we put your questions to people from interesting backgrounds or working in different careers.This week, Andrea was joined by Maria McNamara, Professor of Paleontology at UCC to answer all of your fossil-related questions!

You’ve heard the expression ‘Everyone has a book in them’, but have you ever thought about actually writing yours?And if you did, have you thought about what might go into getting it published?Just how tough is it to be an independent author? And how do you go about it?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Yvonne Reddin, Author of ‘TLC, Talk Learn Connect’ and Jane Buckley, writing a book based on 'Project Children'.

Are we too busy looking for red flags in people rather than seeking out the green flags?Writing in the Irish Independent today, Tanya Sweeney questions was she looking for the wrong things?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Tanya, Cathal O’Sullivan, Content Creator with Today FM and Mark Fennell, Life Coach, Speaker and Author.

Marie Markey got in touch with the show to explain her poor experience buying wheelchair accessible tickets at a show.She joins Andrea along with Graham Merrigan and Bernard Mulvaney, full-time Carer and Disability Rights Activist to discuss.

From Puppy of the year to Michael Flatley being challenged to a dance off, Breakfast Briefing Presenter Shane Beatty joins Andrea with his stories from across the country!

It appears that hundreds, if not thousands, of people in Dublin were victims of a huge hoax yesterday evening.A rumour is understood to have circulated online that a Halloween parade was due to take place in the city centre.Pictures and footage posted on social media show huge crowds lined up along O’Connell Street waiting for the hoax parade to get underway.Were you one of the disappointed masses tricked by the hoax parade? And should Dublin actually have one?Andrea is joined by people who were there to discuss.

For the autumn season, you might want to do a bit of a makeover to your house. Well, the Home Squad are here to give you some tips!To discuss, Andrea is joined by Jenny Sheahan, Irish Examiner Columnist and former winner of ‘Home of the Year’ and Emma Delaney, Senior Interior Designer from April & the Bear.

Thousands of people in Ireland could qualify for a UK pension, but aren’t aware of it.And apparently, the time is running out to claim it.Peter McElroy, from myUKpension.ie joins Andrea to discuss.

Charlene Masterson was abused by her father over a seven-and-a-half-year period after first blackmailing her.In 2021, David Masterson was jailed for 17 years.Charlene joins Andrea to share her story.If you have been affected by any of the issues raised, you can call the Rape Crisis Centre on Freephone - 1800 77 88 88.